Babilonia, Onyankopɔn Atemmu Afoa
1Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se 2“Onipa ba, fa wʼani kyerɛ Yerusalem na kasa tia kronkronbea no. Hyɛ nkɔm tia Israel asase 3na ka kyerɛ no se: ‘Sɛɛ na Awurade se: Me ne wo anya. Mɛtwe mʼafoa afi ne boha mu de ayi atreneefo ne amumɔyɛfo afi mo mu. 4Esiane sɛ merebeyi atreneefo ne amumɔyɛfo afi mo mu nti, mʼafoa befi ne boha mu atia obiara, fi anafo fam kosi atifi fam. 5Afei nnipa nyinaa behu sɛ me Awurade matwe mʼafoa afi ne boha mu na ɛrensan bio.’
6“Enti si apini, onipa ba! Fa koma a abubu ne awerɛhow a ano yɛ den si apini wɔ wɔn anim. 7Na sɛ wobisa wo se, ‘Adɛn nti na woresi apini a?’ Wobɛka se, ‘Ɛyɛ asɛm a ɛreba no nti. Koma biara bɛbotow na nsa biara mu agugow, honhom biara bɛtɔ beraw na kotodwe biara bɛpopo.’ Ɛreba, ɔkwan biara so ɛbɛba, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.”
8Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se, 9“Onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm na ka se, ‘sɛɛ na Awurade se:
“ ‘Afoa bi, afoa bi,
wɔasew ano, atwiw ho,
10wɔasew ano ama akunkumakunkum no,
wɔatwiw ho ma etwa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ anyinam!
“ ‘Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛsɛpɛw yɛn ho wɔ me babarima Yuda ahempema ho ana? Afoa no mfa pema biara a ɛte saa no nyɛ hwee.
11“ ‘Wɔayi afoa no asi hɔ sɛ wontwitwiw ho,
sɛ wɔmfa nsa nkura mu;
wɔasew ano, atwiw ho,
ayɛ no krado ama owudifo no.
12Su na twa adwo, onipa ba,
efisɛ etia me nkurɔfo;
etia Israel mmapɔmma nyinaa.
Wɔagyaa wɔn ama afoa no
aka me nkurɔfo ho.
Enti fa wo nsa gu wo ti so.
13“ ‘Sɔhwɛ bɛba ampa ara. Na sɛ Yuda ahempema a afoa no mfa no nyɛ hwee no nni hɔ a dɛn na wɔbɛyɛ? Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.’
14“Enti onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm
na bɔ wo nsam.
Ma afoa no ntwitwa mprenu,
mpo mprɛnsa.
Ɛyɛ akunkumakunkum afoa,
akunkumakunkum kɛse no afoa,
a ɛba wɔn so fi afanan nyinaa.
15Ɛbɛma koma nyinaa abotow
na atɔfo adɔɔso,
mede akunkumakunkum afoa no asisi
wɔn apon nyinaa ano.
Hwɛ! Wɔatono no sɛ entwa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ anyinam,
wɔaso mu ama akunkumakunkum.
16Wo afoa, twa kɔ nifa,
na twa kɔ benkum,
nea wo dade bɛfa biara.
17Me nso, mɛbɔ me nsam,
na mʼabufuwhyew ano bedwo
Me Awurade na makasa no.”
18Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se: 19“Onipa ba, bɔ akwan abien na Babiloniahene afoa no mfa so, na ne abien no nyinaa mfi ase wɔ ɔman koro mu. Fa akwankyerɛde si nkwanta a ɛman kɔ kuropɔn no mu no so. 20Bɔ ɔkwan baako a afoa no bɛfa so ako atia Amonfo Raba ne baako nso a ebetia Yuda ne Yerusalem a wɔabɔ ho ban no. 21Na Babiloniahene begyina akwan abien no nkwanta so ahwehwɛ nkɔmhyɛ, ɔde agyan bɛbɔ ntonto, akɔ abisa wɔ nʼahoni nkyɛn, na wahwɛ mmrɛbo mu. 22Ne nsa nifa mu na ntonto a ɛbɛbɔ Yerusalem no bɛkɔ, na hɔ na wɔbɛhyehyɛ oburuw adwennini, de ama okum kɛse no. Afei wɔde osebɔ bɛma oburuw nnua no so apempem apon no, wɔbɛyɛ mpempe na wɔasisi pampim. 23Ɛbɛyɛ sɛ atoro nkɔm ama wɔn a wɔne no ayɛ apam, nanso ɔbɛkaakae wɔn afɔdi na wafa wɔn nnommum.
24“Enti sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: ‘Esiane sɛ mo saa nkurɔfo yi nam mo atuatew so akae me mo afɔdi, de ada mo bɔne a moyɛ nyinaa adi, sɛ moayɛ eyi nti, wɔbɛfa mo nnommum.
25“ ‘Wo ɔkɔntɔnkye ne Israel hene ba otirimɔdenfo a wo da adu, wo a wʼasotwe bere adu ne mpɔmpɔnso, 26sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Tu abotiri no, yi ahenkyɛw no. Ɛrenyɛ sɛnea na ɛte kan no: Wɔbɛma nea abrɛ ase no so; nea ama ne ho so nso, wɔabrɛ no ase. 27Ɔsɛe! Ɔsɛe! Mɛyɛ no ɔsɛe! Ɛrensi ne dedaw mu bio kosi sɛ ɔbɛba nea ɛyɛ ne de no nkyɛn, ɔno na mede bɛma no.’
28“Na wo, onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm ka se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade ka fa Amonfo ne wɔn ahohorabɔ ho:
“ ‘Afoa bi, afoa bi,
wɔatwe ama akunkumakunkum,
wɔatwiw ho sɛ enni nam
na ɛmpa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ anyinam!
29Atoro anisoadehu
ne nkontompo nkonyaa a ɛfa wo ho akyi no
wɔde bɛto wɔn kɔn mu
amumɔyɛfo a ɛsɛ sɛ wokum wɔn no,
wɔn a wɔn da no adu so,
ne wɔn a wɔn asotwe bere
adu ne mpɔmpɔnso no.
30“ ‘San fa afoa no hyɛ ne boha mu
wɔ faako a wɔbɔɔ wo hɔ
wɔ wo nananom asase so,
mebu wo atɛn.
31Mehwie mʼabufuwhyew agu wo so
na mahome mʼabufuw a ɛyɛ hu atia wo;
Mede wo bɛhyɛ mmarima atirimɔdenfo nsa,
wɔn a wɔwɔ adesɛe ho nyansa.
32Wobɛyɛ nnyansin ama ogya,
wɔbɛka wo mogya agu wɔ wʼasase so,
na wɔrenkae wo bio;
me Awurade na makasa.’ ”
Babylon as God’s sword of judgment
In Hebrew texts 21:1-32 is numbered 21:6-37. 1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3and say to her: “This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. 5Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its sheath; it will not return again.”
6‘Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. 7And when they ask you, “Why are you groaning?” you shall say, “Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.” It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.’
8The word of the Lord came to me: 9‘Son of man, prophesy and say, “This is what the Lord says:
‘ “A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished –
10sharpened for the slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!
‘ “Shall we rejoice in the sceptre of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.
11‘ “The sword is appointed to be polished,
to be grasped with the hand;
it is sharpened and polished,
made ready for the hand of the slayer.
12Cry out and wail, son of man,
for it is against my people;
it is against all the princes of Israel.
They are thrown to the sword
along with my people.
Therefore beat your breast.
13‘ “Testing will surely come. And what if even the sceptre, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.”
14‘So then, son of man, prophesy
and strike your hands together.
Let the sword strike twice,
even three times.
It is a sword for slaughter –
a sword for great slaughter,
closing in on them from every side.
15So that hearts may melt with fear
and the fallen be many,
I have stationed the sword for slaughter21:15 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
at all their gates.
Look! It is forged to strike like lightning,
it is grasped for slaughter.
16Slash to the right, you sword,
then to the left,
wherever your blade is turned.
17I too will strike my hands together,
and my wrath will subside.
I the Lord have spoken.’
18The word of the Lord came to me: 19‘Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. 20Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 21For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: he will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. 22Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering-rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering-rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works. 23It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.
24‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do – because you have done this, you will be taken captive.
25‘ “You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, 26this is what the Sovereign Lord says: take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. 27A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.”
28‘And you, son of man, prophesy and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults:
‘ “A sword, a sword,
drawn for the slaughter,
polished to consume
and to flash like lightning!
29Despite false visions concerning you
and lying divinations about you,
it will be laid on the necks
of the wicked who are to be slain,
whose day has come,
whose time of punishment has reached its climax.
30‘ “Let the sword return to its sheath.
In the place where you were created,
in the land of your ancestry,
I will judge you.
31I will pour out my wrath on you
and breathe out my fiery anger against you;
I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men,
men skilled in destruction.
32You will be fuel for the fire,
your blood will be shed in your land,
you will be remembered no more;
for I the Lord have spoken.” ’
